The Bruins had the defending NCCAA DII national champion and #4 nationally ranked Grace Christian University on their heels in the second half, but a late run by the Tigers ended any chance of an upset as the Bruins fell 91-78 on Thursday afternoon.
"We were able to hit some shots and really do a lot of things well in this game," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "What brought them back at the end was that they are a veteran team and they made the shots down the stretch that they needed to get the win."
The Bruins opened the second semester of play with three games in three days on the road in Kissimmee, Florida. They knew they would be in for a tough test as they battled the defending national champions. Last season, the Bruins and Tigers met in the quarterfinals of the national tournament with the Tigers using a late run to end the Bruins title hopes. On Thursday afternoon, the Bruins and Tigers would once again meet as both teams took the court at the Sun Dome.
In the opening half, the Bruins and Tigers traded baskets early on with neither able to build a sizable lead. Daniel Fuller picked apart the Tigers 2-3 zone in the first half as the sophomore hit five three pointers throughout the opening twenty minutes. The Tigers answered right back as they maintained a slim lead thanks to utlizing their size in the post for points in the paint. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the Bruins trailed 44-38.
As the second half began, the Bruins came out looking to regain the lead. Near the midway point of the half, Chapman Harwood and Daniel Fuller each hit threes to spark an 8-2 run as the team led 59-58. The Bruins continued to keep the lead as they forced the Tigers into tough looks and converted offensively.
With just over six minutes to play, Fuller hit his seventh three of the game as the score was tied 71-71. The Bruins were sensing an upset but the Tigers had other plans as hot shooting sparked a 14-0 run to put GCU up 85-71 with just over three minutes to play. Unfortunately, the Bruins never recovered as they fell 91-78.
"We wanted to start the second semester by challenging our guys against one of the best teams in Division II," Coach Uwarow said. "This experience gives our young players a good feel of what it is going to be like when we get to the postseason."
Despite a strong push in the second half, turnovers proved costly down the stretch as the Bruins fall to 6-8 on the season. Daniel Fuller led the Bruins with 23 points while shooting 7-10 from beyond the arc. Next up, the Bruins will be back in action on Friday afternoon as the team will battle Welch College.
